Obtaining top places on major search engines results in more web traffic, which leads to more enquiries and ultimately more sales. But achieving SEO and retaining visitors is not straight forward.
Tessa Denison, creative director of web designer Denison Design, believes that the first point to consider is the regular updating of website content – both copy and photography.
If the content is changed frequently then web listings can be improved.
With a car dealership website it is necessary to keep content updated as cars are sold continually, special offers are introduced and new stock is constantly added.
Denison said:?“The ability to update a website easily initially comes from constructing it according to web standards guidelines and using valid HTML and cascading style sheets.
“CSS enables the website developer to separate the appearance or style of a web page from its structure and content.
“Producing websites in such a manner makes them much easier and cost effective to update and significantly improves the download time.”

The right words
SEO can also be improved by integrating key words into the body copy of the text.
Car dealership websites should incorporate words such as motor, vehicle and car into the text as often as possible so the website is more likely to be picked up by search engines when potential customers enter those words.
“SEO is all about driving traffic to your website. However, it is important to be driving relevant traffic – those that are potential customers.
“To achieve this, targeted advertising can help.”
If SEO is satisfactorily achieved then it is essential to produce a website that will retain visitors long enough to influence purchase decisions.
Home sweet home
One of the most important things in this regard is the design of the home page as this is where the customer's initial impression of the site comes from.
Analysts believe that once a customer logs on to the home page, there is a five-second window to capture the audience before interest is lost and the visitor has moved on to other websites.
“Dealers should avoid this by including a selection of new car offers on the home page which will encourage visitors to explore the site further.”
Denison insists that to encourage exploration on the website it is important that navigation is simple which means having the most important information, such as a search facility, on the home page or just one click away.
“It is unlikely that customers of car dealerships will want to make a transaction online so one of the main objectives of the website is to generate enquiries. Therefore, contact details should be easily accessible. This includes a contact name, telephone number, address and email details,” she said.

Call answering
Any phone numbers provided should always have a telephone operator ready to answer the
call promptly.
Similarly, email enquiries must be replied to swiftly as customers are more likely to consider doing business with dealers who react to their enquiry immediately.

Site consistency
The next consideration for impressing and retaining potential customers is stock
and pricing.
Denison said:?“The important point here is consistency so don't disappoint customers by featuring a car on the website which was sold three days ago from the forecourt. Similarly, if a car is reduced on the forecourt then it should also be reduced on the website.”
With pricing and stock correct and up to date on the website the next area to look at is the use of quality pictures.
When considering a variety of vehicles, consumers want to see images and so it is more effective to include multiple shots of cars which are clear and professional.
“It is advisable to include pictures of the inside and outside of the vehicle and any special features so customers can see precisely what they could be buying.”
However, she warned that the problem with large numbers of images is they increase download time, a major factor contributing negatively to the retention of site visitors.
She said: “Always compress images as opposed to resizing them. Resizing an image and simply making it smaller means the larger image it is associated with takes just as long to download. Another option is to download a lower resolution version of the car shots first, with the quality gradually improving.”
Denison said she understood that designing a successful car dealership website is not easy.
She said: “There is a significant amount of content and images to manage, and plenty of competition for customers.
“However, if you want consumers to use your website then it must be designed to drive them there and park them there!”